Open Forum
New Delhi, 21 September 2022
Crass Deprivation
GIVING DIGNITY TO DEPRIVED?
By Dhurjati Mukherjee
Deprivation, which is the
consequence of socio-economic disparity in our system, primarily due to the
caste-system and other attendant factors, is still a crucial problem despite 75
years of independence having passed and the matter still not receiving the
attention it deserves. The compartmentalisation of the traditional Hindu
society into various caste-groups is a social institution dictating superior
and lesser beings among its members. This system that places the untouchables
at the bottom of the caste-pyramid is one of the obvious institutions of
caste-inequality, a system of legalised inequality, wherein the allocation of
roles and status is governed by its own principles, determining the social,
economic, political and ritualistic structure of individuals in relation to
each other.
The caste-system in India has had
its impact on all aspects of life; on the past, present, and future, based on
purity and pollution basis. Unfortunately, birth determines the individual’s
social status throughout his life and also his access to various resources. The
deprived masses described as scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the
constitution are in fact low castes and tribes in the Hindu social order,
treated as ‘caste-less’, outcastes or untouchables and have been subjected to
deprivation and discrimination for centuries.
The last seven decades of
independence witnessed a massive social mobility and transformation as well as
the emergence of ’the educated’ among the deprived castes, generally looked
down upon with contempt by the larger society for their mobility on the
crutches of reservations. Although untouchability is outlawed and the
caste-system is not overtly practiced, at least in the bigger cities, there are
other ways of isolating and segregating them similar to abolition of slavery in
the USA, where injustice to African Americans continued until the passing of
the Civil Rights Act.
But in our country, the emergence of
the ’educated among the deprived’ and their journey from traditional defiling
occupations to white-collared office jobs was negligible and even exposed them
to various psychological and physical vulnerabilities causing mental health
strains. This has continued even today.
It is indeed distressing to note
that deprivation has not been addressed judiciously by the political leaders of
the country. One may refer here to a recent report ‘Status of Adivasi
Livelihoods Report, 2021’ (SAL), brought out by the Professional Assistance
Development Action which showed the startling deprivation of adivasis in terms
of income, food security and child nutrition as well as in access to public
services, education and landholding. This comes at a time when leaders are
talking big about the achievements of the country in the last 75 years and on
the other hand the ruling NDA-led by BJP saying precious little has been done
to improve their lot.
The SAL further found that 55
percent of adivasi households in Jharkhand and a similar percentage in Odisha
are food insecure in varying degrees. Insignificant landholding is another
crucial contributor to the poor livelihood outcomes of adivasis. Also around 89
percent in Jharkhand and around 70-75 percent in Odisha were found to be
marginal farmers or landless labourers. That India has a woman tribal leader as
the President of the nation, it would be worth keeping a watch on whether at
the end of five years the adivasis’ lives improve.
Though adivasis constitute 8.6
percent of the total population of the country, they make up 50 percent of the
people who have been displaced or dispossessed from their land for the
extraction of minerals, construction of large dams or establishing wildlife
sanctuaries or even for widening roads and highways after independence. The
condition of scheduled castes who live in rural and backward regions of the
country may be slightly better but not worth mentioning.
The idea of development has been
lopsided and efforts to lift the lower castes into the mainstream of life and
activity has not fructified. The main reason for this is the fact the upper
castes, who have been in positions of authority, had very little idea of the
poverty and squalor of the lower castes. Moreover, they were ignorant of the
social position of these castes in the backward regions of the country and the
exploitation, even torture, they have been subjected to for years together.
What appears strange is the failure
of successive governments to tackle this deprivation though many big projects
have been taken up -- all geared to make life easy for the rich and middle
income sections of society. For decades since independence, there was no
national plan of rehabilitation and this section found no solace though they
were divested of their small plot of land for so-called development projects or
washed away due to floods and cyclones or other such disasters. A few years
back, a research study found that land taken from tribals to build Jamshedpur
were thrown out and most died not being given proper rehabilitation.
Over the years all talks of ‘social
change’ and/or ‘structural reform’ were echoed by political leaders and social
analysts but these had little effect on transforming the lives of tribals.
Obviously, those who visualised these aspects/phrases were ignorant of the
condition of tribals and other lower castes and what measures were needed to
improve their incomes. Even now, there is no structured plan to reach out to
the deprived.
The communitarian approach to living
has not become a reality. Not just education per se but lack of social
education deprived us to view human beings not on the basis of caste, class or
religion but as responsible members of society. The egoistic approach of our
leaders percolated to the ground levels and social discrimination
continued.
The obvious question that arises is
what needs to be done at this juncture? Reservation has not solved the problem
as those lower castes who have received employment forget about their suffering
brethren. In fact, they refused to keep contact with their larger family as
also of the original village or town. Thus, the strategy has to be different.
One is inclined to refer here to a
recent observation in Bangalore of the noted author, Arundhati Roy, who
stated:“What is it that has brought us to a situation where people who are
oppressed, people who have no employment, people who are sufferings deeply are
voting for further hellishness upon themselves?” Further, she asked: “What has
brought people to believe propaganda more than the reality of their experiences
every day in their own homes and in their kitchen? Why is it that people who
have been oppressed by the caste system for centuries vote for those very
people who uphold that system?” These answers need to be investigated before we
can assure a life of dignity to the deprived and oppressed. ---INFA
(Copyright, Indi News & Feature
Alliance)
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